Dive into the highlights of this year's Aspex programme through the eyes of Teodora Karailanova, MA Creative Technologies student
Selected students from the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries had the exciting opportunity to take part in the Aspex CCI Student Ambassadors programme—developed by Aspex, Portsmouth’s leading contemporary art gallery.
Over the course of three weeks, the students took part in a series of masterclasses, focused on the development of several skills essential for a successful career in the art sector. Thankfully, I was one of the lucky students selected for the programme.
The focus of the first week was arts, community, and social engagement, led by the programme manager, Dianna Djokey. We could meet with Joanne Bushnell, the director of Aspex, and get an in-depth insight into the inner workings of the gallery and its history, projects, programmes and values as a contemporary art space. We then wrote a poem about their collective values in groups. The day ended with a tour through Aspex’s new exhibition, The Group Show, with art curator Ricardo Reverón Blanco.
Learning about the work organisations such as Aspex do with artists, audiences, and the community was invaluable. In addition, it gave me an insight into the practices involved in curating an art exhibition such as The Group Show.
MA Interior Architecture and Design student Jamna Avunhippuram explains, “The experience I had from the Aspex programme is invaluable. It gave me more insight into who I am and what I am capable of. The sessions we had with Prince Taylor, Michelle, and Dianna were amazing and inspiring. I gained a lot of confidence in pursuing my passion.”
The second-week workshop was artist-led with Aspex's Artist in Residence, Michelle Ezeuko. I found this workshop the most fascinating due to Michelle's work as an activist and performer. The effort she put into her art and its effect on the community was more than inspiring. In the end, we all made our own vision boards to represent our future as artists as we imagined it. This workshop was amazing for boosting our confidence as artists and really helped to teach us how much our artistic work can benefit (if not change!) the world.
It's been an absolute pleasure partnering with the CCI Faculty, to deliver this programme to uni students. The programme aimed to engage students, offer opportunities, and support them where they're most needed. I am really happy that based on feedback, it met these aims.
Besides everything we learnt from the amazing artists and Aspex staff, we could volunteer with Aspex. We assisted artists in the delivery of several community-focused workshops, as well as volunteering at the Victorious festival. We were also offered 1:1 mentoring for support and skill development from Aspex staff.
Suzanne Marie Taylor, PhD student at the School of Art, Design, and Performance who took part in the programme, said, “I would like to give a very special mention to Dianna Djokey for making me feel so very welcome to the Aspex Student Ambassador Programme. Dianna's enthusiasm for Aspex Portsmouth and especially for the Generate Programme was so apparent. My thanks as well to Joanne Bushnell, Ricardo Reverón Blanco, Michelle Ezeuko, and Prince Taylor for leading such fantastic sessions, and my thanks to Sam Foot for talking to me about volunteering.”
Taking part in the Aspex CCI Student Ambassadors programme was an exceptionally valuable experience. It serves as a stepping stone for people who want to develop a career in the art sector.
Other participants—such as Iliriana Lleshi (BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design)—said, “It has been great to be surrounded by like-minded creatives that are passionate about what they do. The sessions have made me feel more confident and excited about my future aspirations.”
I had a great time in the Ambassador programme. It was nice to meet new people in the CCI, and it boosted my confidence to work towards my goals.